| A Richmond-area bridge that became impassable following last week's heavy rains is open for traffic and will eventually be replaced, said Fort Bend County Road and Bridge Commissioner Mark Grant.
Heavy rains early last week led to severe flooding in Pecan Creek, damaging the small bridge on Pecan Creek Drive that connects FM 359 to the Pecan Creek subdivision near FM 723.
One of the neighborhood's residents on Thursday morning drove his pickup truck onto the bridge and took a nosedive into a sinkhole that developed, but was able to escape.
Grant said his department stabilized the bridge by Saturday, making it open for traffic. Nevertheless, he said he will be constructing an entirely new bridge to replace the current one, which he said will be higher and wider.
The Road and Bridge Department has put in orders for culverts that will be used for the construction of a temporary bridge to the west of the current one, said Grant, and that bridge will serve residents while the department constructs the permanent replacement.
Pecan Creek Drive serves as the only connection between the subdivision and FM 359, making its repair vital for residents of the quiet neighborhood. The developer constructed the bridge in the '70s or '80s, said Grant, and the county agreed to maintain it.
"Currently, we do not allow developers to build a subdivision with one entrance in and one entrance out. When this was constructed in the '70's or '80s, it was built to the county's minimal requirements at the time," Grant said.
Grant said he could not locate the developer, and his department will take on the replacement costs. He said it will be paid for with funds in the current budget for his department and may cost about $30,000.
Until then, Grants said, his department is watching over the existing bridge hourly, to ensure its "drivability."
Culverts to serve the temporary bridge should be received by the county in "two or three days," said Grant, and construction will begin at that time.
Pecan Creek resident Carol Rees said she has been parking her car outside the subdivision, as a precaution for flooding damage. She said on Saturday, "trucks after trucks" poured dirt into the sinkhole.
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